If she's at all outdoorsy, and into hiking, you'll find some wonderful rock formations and trails to explore at Sullivan's Curve and the Mormon Rocks. Great fun for both of you, and it'll help you gain you some nice photo angles.

Rainy weather (common for southern California this time of year) can turn many of the access roads into paths of sticky goo, so have the right vehicle. Sunny weather (also common for southern California this time of year) can draw rattlesnakes out of their holes, so be VERY careful.

Bring her to Hill 582 (mentioned on most Cajon-oriented sites) and let her see the mementos and hard work left behind by others who share your interest in trains. I've read lately that the usual road access to the Hill may be a bit hacked up by crossing closures, so you might have to walk a few yards to it.

This time of year the setting sun will lay toward the south, making for some dramatic light in certain areas from CP Walker east to Silverwood. Share the sunset with her at Hill 582, or better yet up by the Silverwoood connector, where you have a fantastic view of multiple tracks snaking down the pass from your vantage point, with the San Gabriel Mountains for a backdrop. In the last light of day, fire up either of these songs: Fleetwood Mac's "Sara," or Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." They really pulse with the subtle energy of the desert at night, of trains and travelers on the move. The two of you can look up at the separated lanes of I-15 and "...count the headlights on the highway." She will never forget it.

If nothing else, you can't go wrong with an afternoon at San Clemente with trains on the beach, a stroll on the pier, shops and restaurants just a stone's throw from the track, and a much more memorable sunset (assuming it's sunny) than anything you'll see back home on Puget Sound.